We turn today to the Song of Songs. Is this about Lurve? Oh no, it’s something far deeper and more beautiful.
Love’s beginning
Song of Songs 2:1-7
Love’s absence
Song of Songs 2:8-17, 3:1-5
Love’s restoration
Song of Songs 3:6-11, 4:1-16, 5:1
Love delayed
Song of Songs 5:2-16, 6:1-3
Love’s fulfilment
Song of Songs 6:4-13, 7:1-13, 8:1-4
Love’s triumph
Song of Songs 8:5-14
Just for a change I read Song of Songs in The Message - a lively paraphrase, that works beautifully with something like this. I want to reflect on the overall impact of the whole book, rather than concentrate on the meaning of little bits of it.
It is beautiful, it brings a tear to my eye. Unlike the sort of love literature that we’re used to, it dwells on longing, rather than on consummation. My reflection is that our sexuality has been sadly distorted by porn, and that we’ve tried to take the waiting out of wanting. But we’ve taken the longing out of loving, and all we’re left with is lust.
There’s no beauty in the way we think about sexual love at the moment. Perhaps because porn follows the male arc of swift arousal, climax then ... falling asleep... to put it bluntly, we’ve closed our eyes to the beauty of desire.
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